To Silence Everybody & Anybody Who Dares to Question Any Part of the Agenda ...

Wow! I just read Sen. Durbin — one of my Senators — yelling at the Republicans on Monday over the RNC's Reid character assassination campaign — and, man, does he get some choice ones in there:

This is not a discussion they're planning. This is an effort to try to intimidate political opponents into silence — and it is shameful.

Why is the RNC doing this now? Because they do not want to debate their radical proposals on the merits. They don't want to talk about the details of Social Security privatization, which is becoming increasingly unpopular in America. They don't want to talk about the budget they released today, which will make deep cuts in health care, veterans care, and education. They want to silence everybody and anybody who dares to question any part of the agenda.

That is not what America is about. It is not the way this Senate is supposed to work.

I say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, is there one amongst us who could withstand this type of withering scrutiny and criticism? I think, frankly, my friends should stop and realize we have 2 years ahead of us in this session. We need to work with one another. We have and we will. Starting with this approach is bad.

Here's another great bit:

There is another element here, too. I have some rules in my life that are hard and fast when it comes to politics, and one rule is that I never attack my opponent's family. Never. There have been ample opportunities when some relative of my opponent did something very embarrassing or I could have issued a press release and taken advantage of it. I never did it because I never want people attacking my family.

The Republican National Committee starts off their campaign by attacking Senator Reid's family. I think the hottest ring in hell is reserved for politicians who attack their opponents' families, and I hope Senator Frist believes that, too.

Another gem I would have missed if not for GovTrack.Us.